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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

David Brooks, "Are We on the Path to National Ruin?": Yes

In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Are We on the Path to National Ruin?," David Brooks questions whether America is at the edge of the abyss. Referencing both the violence in Dallas and the US presidential election, Brooks writes:

"[T]here are a lot of lonely, alienated young men seeking self-worth through violence. Some wear police badges; some sit in their rooms fantasizing of mass murder. When they act, the results can be convulsive."

. . . .

The F.B.I. director’s statements reminded us that Hillary Clinton is willing to blatantly lie to preserve her career. Donald Trump, of course, lies continually and without compunction. It’s very easy to see this country on a nightmare trajectory.

"Back in the 1880s and 1890s, America faced crises as deep as the ones we face today. The economy was going through an epochal transition, then to industrialization. The political system was worse and more corrupt than ours is today.

On the other hand, back in the 1880s and 1890s, elementary school children were not taking crack, narcissistic personality disorders were few and far between, and America's national debt was nowhere near today's unsustainable $20 trillion.

The answer to the title of Brooks's opinion piece? An unqualified "yes."